(NASA) captured the birth of a new iceberg near Antarctica late this past winter. The series of three images in the animation above show the 17-mile-long (27 kilometers) iceberg breaking off of the Getz Ice Shelf in western Antarctica from Feb. 16, 2015 to March 5, 2015. It was discovered by the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC) andwas given the name B-34 since it exceeds the 19-kilometer-long size requirement needed for tracking. According to NASA, the B-34 name is derived...

Every global shore touches the same ocean, and the ocean is rising. Climate Central just completed a novel analysis of worldwide exposure to sea level rise and coastal flooding. We found that 147 to 216 million people live on land that will be below sea level or regular flood levels by the end of the century, assuming emissions of heat-trapping gases continue on their current trend. By far the largest group — 41 to 63 million — lives in China....

is a game of millimeters a year, but those millimeters add up to a huge amount of water entering the world’s oceans. And the rising tide could eventually swamp cities around the globe. With tide gauges distributed sparsely around the planet, scientists have turned to satellites to provide a global picture of sea level since the early 1990s. New research published on Monday in Nature Climate Change refines those satellite estimates and provides some good and bad news. The good...

ISS image of cracked ice in Canada during early May 2015. (NASA/Scott Kelly) Spring's milder temperatures have created spectacular views of cracked ice on many of Canada's large bodies of water. The first image in the slideshow, , is one of the most vivid examples of the large cracks that develop as the widespread ice from winter melts away. Kelly described the image by saying that parts of Canada looked like a cracked window. Also shown above are many other...

The Obama administration, citing rigorous safety standards and a long review process, has granted conditional approval to energy giant Shell to begin oil drilling in the Arctic waters off the coast of Alaska. The Interior Department wrote in a statement Monday that Shell could begin drilling in the Chukchi Sea once several environmental conditions are met, including a sign-off from agencies assessing the impact on endangered species. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's director, Abigail Ross Hopper, said in a...

Visitors to Southern California might stop in front of a few famous A-lister homes to take a selfie, but suffice it to say they aren't fans this time around. #DroughtShaming is the latest trend buzzing around Los Angeles, and unlike and , drought shamers intend to make the world a better place, albeit through humiliation. LAist reports that have all been called out by their neighbors for keeping up their gardens and lush estates in places like Calabasas and the...

Rising waters from the Atlantic Ocean are threatening to submerge America's oldest city and all its historical sights. Founded by the Spanish in the mid-16th century, St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest continously occupied city in the U.S., and runs on a powerful tourism industry of visitors seeking out living history, such as the Castillo de San Marcos fortress. Waters from the Atlantic regularly flood the city, but residents and officials agree that sea level rise is getting worse. The...

Amid California’s years-long drought, Wal-Mart is catching heat for bottling and selling water from Sacramento’s municipal supply. CBS 13 reports that . From the bottler, the water makes its way into Wal-Mart, where it’s sold under the Great Value brand. All told, after it passes hands a few times, every dollar out of Sacramento’s water supply ends up as more than $600 for Wal-Mart and the bottling company. (MORE: ) “Either they were unaware, uninformed or unintentionally did this,” public...

A hole in our atmosphere more than twice the size of the United States is finally beginning to close up, and might even be completely gone by the end of the century, according to a new study by NASA scientists. The report . In short, it tells us that the measures taken to heal our ozone layer are, and will be, successful. It's been about 30 years since scientists discovered the massive hole above Antarctica –a hole , National Geographic...

Hundreds of climate-conscious protestors took to the Seattle Port in kayaks Saturday to protest the arrival of Shell's Polar Pioneer, a drilling rig headed for the Arctic Ocean. The Associated Press reports those same protests continued Monday as hundreds of protestors blocked the entrances to a seaport terminal in Seattle, carrying banners and flags. Last week the to conduct controversial oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, which touched off anti-oil activity in Seattle over the last few days. (MORE: )...

Fossil fuel companies around the world are subsidised to the tune of $10 million per minute every day, according to a new estimate from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In a study published Monday, in subsidies a year, an amount greater than the combined health spending of all the world's governments. The Guardian reports that the through air pollutants and the costs of burning oil, gas and coal. (MORE: ) “This very important analysis shatters the myth that fossil fuels...

It just got a lot harder for Texas towns to ban fracking and other dangerous oil and natural gas activities. A new law prohibits cities and towns from imposing local ordinances that ban fracking and drilling, which was signed Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott. This measure quickly passed through the heavily-Republican Legislature. The state's lawmakers sprang into action to pass this legislation after voters in Denton banned local hydraulic fracturing in November. (MORE: ) The new law limits not only...

A new report finds climate change is likely impacting hurricane season in two contradictory ways. The new research was published this week inby Florida State georgraphy professor Jim Elsner and Namyoung Kang, deputy director of the National Typhoon Center in South Korea. The study findsthat warmer ocean temperatures, caused by climate change, may be fueling stronger hurricanes, while at the same time, creating fewer storms. "We're seeing fewer hurricanes, but the ones we do see are more intense," Elsner said....